Vince Garreffa’s smoky bacon hock with adzuki beans

By
Vince Garreffa
-
Smoky bacon hock with adzuki beans

Aromas of this dish will make everyone feel that it’s home. Bacon hock/shank and ham hock/shank are all close to being the same product. So, buy whichever one you can, it will do a good job.

Ingredients for 4

  • 1 good size smoked bacon hock/shank
  • 2 brown onions, diced
  • 20g chopped garlic
  • 2 red chillies, slice
  • 1 litre stock (veal or chicken)
  • 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
  • 1 small butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and medium dice
  • 2 x 400g cans corn kernels
  • 500g dry adzuki split beans, soaked for two hours in water
  • 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1 cup Italian parsley leaves
  • ½ cup chiffonnade of basil
  • organic lake salt
  • cracked black pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • grated cheese (optional)

Method

  1. Heat some EVOO in a pot big enough for the recipe, then add the onions and sauté till soft (about five minutes) now add the chilli and garlic for a further minute, stirring through.
  2. Add the tomatoes and stir, cooking for 10 minutes on high heat.
  3. Follow this with the stock and bacon hock and bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for two to two and half hours till meat is falling off the bone.
  4. Remove meat, and bone, to one side to cool. 
  5. Now add soaked and strained beans, pumpkin and corn kernels to the pot, cooking at a good simmer till the beans are tender.
  6. Dice the cooled meat and skin and add back to the pot. Taste for salt and add if you need to (some salt leaches out of the bacon hock). If the mix is a little dry add a little more stock.
  7. Lastly, while it is simmering add the cherry tomatoes, basil and parsley, mixing and cooking till tomatoes soften. 
  8. A grind of freshly cracked pepper and it’s ready, bowl up and serve with crusty bread. You can add soup pasta to it 10 minutes before the end that way you can smother it with grated cheese. You don’t have to, but it’s a good option – yum.

Vince is the proprietor of Mondos Butchers located at 824 Beaufort Street, Inglewood.
They are open Tuesday to Friday 9am – 5.30pm, Saturday 9am – 2pm.
Phone 9371 6350 or visit www.mondo.net.au.

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